chicken karahi

I love love love Chicken Karahi/karhai however you spell it. The tomatoes add an intense tang and for once, the onions aren’t stealing the show and letting other ingredients shine. You can taste the ginger, you can taste the garlic, you can taste the hari mirch. It’s all there in every bite, and it’s beautiful!

This particular recipe is one made out of necessity. Who would make chicken karahi out of boneless chicken? Who would dare? I unfortunately, did. Picky eaters in the family have turned my recipes into those born out of necessity, like my millennial biryani , a boneless chicken biryani that does not compromise on flavor one ounce, but is perfect for all you boneless chicken loving millennials. This is no different. It was born out of necessity, necessity of me wanting to eat chicken karahi, but also born out of the need to have it while being short on tomatoes. How typical, right? The moment you decide you absolutely must have something, you’re short on some tomatoes. But here enters my star ingredient, one that only gives, and never takes. I’m talking about yogurt. It lends a hand at making a masala when you don’t have or want to add onions, and that’s exactly what I used here.

Let’s get started, shall we?

2 pounds boneless chicken cubes

4 Tblspns oil

1 Tblspn ginger garlic paste

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp haldi(turmeric)

1/2 tsp laal mirch(cayenne)

1/2 tsp sookha dhania (crushed coriander seeds)

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 cup room temp whipped yogurt

4-5 green chillies, thinly sliced

extra hari mirch and dhania for serving

Start off by heating the oil. Add the ginger garlic paste and chicken and sauté on a medium flame till the chicken turns opaque. Then add the seasonings and cook for a couple minutes.

Then add the tomatoes, sliced green chillies and yogurt. Mix well and cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes on a medium low flame, or until the tomatoes break down and the oil separates. Mix occasionally to make sure the chicken isn’t burning at the bottom. If the masala dries out a bit add a splash of water as needed.

Once the tomatoes have broken down, cook the chicken uncovered for a minute or two. This is supposed to be a dryish dish, so let most of the water cook off. Serve with a generous sprinkle of fresh dhania (coriander) and chopped hari mirch (green chillies), and naan, of course!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Happy Cooking!